NBA's Jason Collins Undergoing Brain Tumor Treatment

In 2013, Jason Collins came out as the first openly gay NBA player, and now he’s fighting a new battle. The retired athlete’s family revealed to the NBA that Collins is suffering from a tumor and asked for privacy as the family works through this time together. “NBA Ambassador and 13-year NBA veteran Jason Collins is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor,” the statement reads. “Jason and his family welcome your support and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as they dedicate their attention to Jason’s health and well-being.”

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Respecting his privacy, his loved ones didn’t release any other information regarding his condition or even how long he’s been undergoing treatment. Over a decade ago, Collins’ name became very symbolic in the NBA, not because of his athletic abilities, but because he was the first to openly identify as part of the LGBTQ community.  He came out in an open letter he wrote for Sports Illustrated, beginning the piece with “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m Black. And I’m gay.” Collins says he first started thinking about coming out because of the 2011 NBA lockout, when he was left with too much time on his hands that would usually be spent on preparing for the next season. The complete halt of the NBA “wreaked havoc on my habits and forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want. With the season delayed, I trained and worked out. But I lacked the distraction that basketball had always provided.” Then he realized he needed to go public when his old Stanford roommate, who’d become a Massachusetts congressman, marched in Boston’s 2012 Gay Pride Parade. “I’m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy,” Collins remembers feeling. “I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn’t even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator.” While he kept it secret most of his career, his “small gesture of solidarity” was to rock a number 98 jersey when he was with the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards, which was in remembrance of the murder of Matthew Shepard, one of the most notorious anti-gay hate crimes that occurred in 1998.  Collins played for Stanford University before declaring for the NBA draft in 2001, where the Nets picked him with the 18th pick. After seven seasons, he’d bounce around the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, and Celtics before retiring with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014. See social media’s rallying around Collins below.

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